Final Fantasy IV
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Good to be back
Hmm... That was my first reaction to the news of FF4 on the DS. Sure, the first one was great, but after the mediocre Gameboy remake, I was unsure about whether or not this game could be trusted to re-buff the shining name of its publisher after 17 years. Apparently, I was wrong. The newest remake of the cult hit has delivered in every possible way, without diminishing what originally made the first so special. One of the most noticeable updates is, of course, the graphical overhaul. You can now stare at Cecil and Co. through the shine of one of the best graphical engines on the DS. Some of the major cutscenes are even voiced, and voiced well. Does it get any better? Well, yes, actually, it does get better. Many of the characters have been revamped with better abilities and higher stats (congratulations Edward; after 17 years you have finally shed the title of "most useless final fantasy hero". Spoony no more!!!)and sometimes even new skills. However, FF4 veterans need not fear, old skills such as palom and porom's twin cast are still as powerful as ever. The better skills lead me to another point (and one of the best additions to the game): augments, which contain the skills of old characters. Once you get one, you are free to use it on whomever you like. You can also obtain augments of bosses signature moves, such as Cagnazzos powerful tsunami move. I can't tell you how cool it is to have Edge and Yang devastating the field with Twin cast, or having Cid yodeling out Bard song (Edward's new ability). These augments may seem cheap, but believe me, they seem around normal power against the bosses of FF4 DS, whose power has close to doubled in this game. Possibly my most favorite addition to FF4 is Whyt, an undeveloped Eidolon, who Rydia can summon into battle. You can customize your Whyt exactly how you want by doing a series of mini games that boost his attributes, such as Cecil and Kain's game, where you tap furiously on the touch screen to slay waves of monsters to improve Whyt's strength, or Rydia's game, where you match numbers to make 10 to boost his magic damage. Once he is battle-ready, you can send him out in place of Rydia, and depending on how you set his abilities, he will attack your enemies or use magic and skills known by your allies (again another use for augments). After your Whyt is trained up, you can pit him against your friend's Whyt in local wireless mode. Man, that sure is a mouthful of praise I just dished out, but this game (while a stellar remake and now one of my most favorite FF's of all time) is marred by several flaws that are magnified by how good most of the game is. The graphics are great out of battle and in cutscenes, but there is a noticeable graininess around the character's animations in battle, and a noticeable amount of lag in the movements of the enemies. This is only a small nit picky issue of mine that really only shows up when all 5 party members are on screen. The second issue that I have, is the battle system itself. The pace of FF4's battles are much slower than the original's. Even if you crank the battle speed al the way up to max, it still moves at a bit of a drawl. Then again, this may have been implemented to make the game more accessible to a wider age group, plus with the new auto-battle system, you can level grind on easier monsters with the press of a button. My third issue with the game is at the core of all Final Fantasy games: the story. FF4's story has not been changed at all in this remake (even 95% of the writing is the same). I'm not saying that this is necessarily bad, this is a story we have all loved for 17 years, but the classic heros-versus-bad guys story seems remarkably bland in this version of FF4. Sure, the voice acting and great graphics make the constant betrayal and death all the more dramatic, but there's no arguing that FF4's story still retains the depth of a Saturday morning cartoon. Semi-problematic gameplay and bland story aside, FF4 is a
7/22/08
Final Fantasy IV (feels like a PS2 title)
When I started playing this game my first thought was "How am I playing a PS2 without a TV?" This game made me feel real nostalgic toward my old PS2 (before it chocked on me R.I.P. T-T). Voice acting in a Final Fantasy game (classic remakes anyways) are rare (unless the PSP versions have voice acting *shrugs*). Also, the battle system is simplistic just like the orignal SNES and GBA versions. I'd say get the PSP version, but the PSP version is in 2D, not 3d; also it has The After Years on the disc, but it's just a re-do sequel of FFIV. Get this game you PS2 lovers!
7/12/12
so good but annoying at one point
the game is really good. preaty much ebry thing is great. BUT, if you die, you have to start from the very beginging. i was so early in the story and i died and then i had to wait like 15 min to get back to where i was. just because of cut seans. but thank gosh for copy files.\
5/4/12
MUST HAVE
I just got this game today, so far it is good. The battle system is fine but could be better. You should buy it.
2/1/12
Fans of Final Fantasy games will not be let down.
Anyone who has played a FF game in the last 5 yrs knows that improving graphics are its shining light. FFIV continues this tradition, with great clips and animation throughout the game. On DS, game developers have stuck closely to the original storyline in previous titles and in this one as well. The gameplay is as challenging as other FF titles, making you think and act quickly in battles. For gamers who wish for easier battles, simply change your settings from the game menu. Personally, the faster, the better! One improvement in this title is that if you get lost on your quest, you can access your menu and read a caption from your character and remind yourself of what is the next challenge in the story. All around, the game is amazing and very addicting, despite the usual long boss battles. I highly recommend this for those who want a good classic RPG to play.
8/17/11
FFIV gets a great remake on DS.
A perfect remake of a nearly perfect game. It's game play style is just brilliant. It takes classic Final Fantasy RPG battle style, and speeds it up a bit. You have as long as you want to choose an attack, an item, or whatever, but the enemy will not take turns. The one frustration is how long it takes you to prepare for a boss battle. You have to do a lot of training, and gain a lot of experience before you can fight the boss. I highly recommend the game.
8/10/11
one of the best remakes ever
this game was epic!!!!! its got to be the second best game in the whole series (the best is of course ffix) so our story starts out with a young man named cecil who is captin of barons mighty red wings shortly after arriving home he is relived from his command of the red wings and your epic quest begins. this game was amazing the battles were kinda slow but it was a good thing when you were fighting a hard boss. you prolly dont want to play this game in you are new to rpg though you could this games story took many twists and turns and ultamently (dont know if i spelt that right) is an amazing game
7/17/11
A fun game
This game has a good story, but not enough substance. There was just enough plot to keep me going. I would reccomend this game to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy game.
7/17/11
BEST DS GAME SINCE GLORY OF HERCACLES
ok so i just finish glory of hercales im looking for a game and then i find the FF series the game rules ive been playing a few days and im on the 10th boss u have to play it this is a reason to have a DS
7/9/11
Amazing
This is one of the best final fantasies i have played yet. Ive played just about all of them too. This one, 3,and 1 are really good handheld games and are just right for a final fantasy lover like myself. I also enjoyed 10 and 12. Just the story of all these captivate me and i hope there is another game from this franchise to release for 3ds.
4/17/11